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Hill country silverbush

plateau silverbush

Habit Herbs, perennial, monoecious or dioecious, to 5 dm. Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, usually monoecious, rarely dioecious, to 6 dm.
Stems

erect to ascending, hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

erect, hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

Leaves

stipules deciduous, linear-lanceolate, to 1 mm, margins not glandular;

petiole absent;

blade elliptic, 1.5–4 × 0.6–2 cm, margins entire, without glands, surfaces hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

stipules deciduous, elliptic, 0.3–0.4 mm, margins not glandular;

petiole absent;

blade ovate, elliptic, or obovate, 1.6–7.5 × 0.4–3.8 cm, margins entire or undulate, without glands, surfaces hairy, hairs malpighiaceous.

Inflorescences

unisexual, 3–8 cm;

bracts linear-lanceolate, 2–4.5 mm, margins without glands.

bisexual, 3.5–12 cm;

bracts elliptic, 1–1.5 mm, margins without glands.

Flowers

without pink dye when wetted.

without pink dye when wetted.

Staminate flowers

sepals lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 4–5.5 × 1.1–1.4 mm;

petals cuneate-elliptic to cuneate-obovate, 3.3–4 × 1.6–3 mm, free from androphore;

nectary glands oblong, 0.4–0.5 × 0.3–0.4 mm, adnate to androphore, glabrous;

stamens 10, staminodes 0.

sepals narrowly elliptic, 4–5.3 × 0.9–1.6 mm;

petals elliptic, 2–4 × 1.2–1.5 mm, adnate to or free to androphore;

nectary glands ovate, 0.5–0.8 × 0.3–0.6 mm, adnate to androphore, glabrous;

stamens 7–8, staminodes 0.

Pistillate flowers

sepals lanceolate to elliptic, 6–7 × 1.7–3.2 mm, without glands;

petals 0 or 5, linear, 0–1.7 mm;

nectary glands oblong, 0.5 × 0.7 mm, glabrous;

ovary tomentose to lanulose;

styles 1.5–3 mm, tomentose;

stigmas flattened.

sepals narrowly elliptic, 6–9 × 1.7–2.7 mm, without glands;

petals 0 or 5, lanceolate, less than 0.5 mm;

nectary glands ovate to oblong, 0.3–0.4 × 0.5–0.6 mm, glabrous;

ovary strigose to hispidulous;

styles 1.5–2.1 mm, glabrous;

stigmas flattened.

Capsules

7–9 mm, tomentose to lanulose.

3.5–9 mm, hispidulous.

Seeds

3.7–5 mm, smooth, lightly tuberculate, or striate.

3.5–4.2 mm, faintly and irregularly alveolate.

Argythamnia aphoroides

Argythamnia simulans

Phenology Flowering Jan–Jul. Flowering Mar–Nov.
Habitat Bluestem-grama grasslands, oak woodlands, calcareous, often rocky, clay or loam soils. Grasslands, oak woodlands, loamy to clayey, calcareous, often rocky, soils.
Elevation 300–600 m. (1000–2000 ft.) 100–500 m. (300–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
TX
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Coahuila)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Argythamnia aphoroides is restricted to the Edwards Plateau.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Argythamnia simulans was described by Ingram as having staminate petals free from the androphore (Clemans 433, RSA), but in some specimens the staminate petals are adnate to the androphore (Riskind 2370 MEXU, TEX, DAV). This character is usually constant within a species, although it is in some instances difficult to discern. Further study is needed to determinate the significance of this variation within A. simulans.

In the flora area, Argythamnia simulans is found primarily on the Edwards Plateau.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 174. FNA vol. 12, p. 179.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia Euphorbiaceae > Argythamnia
Sibling taxa
A. adenophora, A. argothamnoides, A. argyraea, A. brandegeei, A. claryana, A. cyanophylla, A. humilis, A. lanceolata, A. mercurialina, A. serrata, A. simulans
A. adenophora, A. aphoroides, A. argothamnoides, A. argyraea, A. brandegeei, A. claryana, A. cyanophylla, A. humilis, A. lanceolata, A. mercurialina, A. serrata
Synonyms Ditaxis aphoroides Ditaxis simulans
Name authority Müller Arg.: Linnaea 34: 146. (1865) — (as Argyrothamnia) J. W. Ingram: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 84: 421. (1958)
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